KIRKUS REVIEW

Rob adores his boyfriend, Liam, but
is having trouble getting along with Liam’s best friend, party-girl Mia, and
her handsome, troubled boyfriend, Galen. Rob makes some unwise decisions to get
along, but the most dangerous is going with them to a remote cabin on
Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. Hartinger gleefully piles up the horror-movie
clichés. Along the way, they encounter a menacing old woman carrying a
crossbow, and she’s far from happy to see Mia. After the drive along muddy back
roads, Mia realizes the woman is angry that her family has sold land to
clear-cutters, ruining property values. The teens make the best of it with
skinny-dipping, drinking, and a game of “Three Truths and a Lie.” Mia reveals a
disturbing secret, which she says is a lie, but Rob is unsettled. Then the
outhouse is knocked over and their gas tank punctured, all after their
satellite phone has disappeared. It’s not long before the paranoia spirals until
they all suspect one another, and not everyone makes it out alive. Though the
cast is not particularly diverse racially (Galen’s “golden-brown” skin
notwithstanding, there’s no solid indication that these teens are anything but
white), placing a couple of gay boys at the center of a psychological thriller is
a refreshing spin on a very old trope.

The story is suspenseful, with
excellent pacing, self-aware humor, and a twist that Hartinger pulls off as
well as the best slasher films. (Thriller. 14-18)

Be the first to discover new talent!
Each week, our editors select the one author and one book they believe to be most worthy of your attention and highlight them in our Pro Connect email alert.
Sign up here to receive your FREE alerts.